Recipe: Roasted tomato and capsicum salad

3 red capsicum, seeded, cut into 1cm strips
1 tbs olive oil
750g truss cherry tomatoes
500g white pearl barley*
1/4 cup coriander leaves

Dressing
1/4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs pomegranate molasses (see box, opposite)
2 tbs lemon juice
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 cup muscatels or sultanas

1. For dressing, whisk all ingredients, except muscatels, together in a small bowl then season to taste with salt and pepper. Add muscatels. Set aside to allow flavours to develop.
2. Preheat oven to 200˚C. Combine capsicum and oil in a large, ceramic ovenproof dish. Season to taste and toss to combine. Roast for 25 minutes. Place tomatoes over capsicum and roast for a further 15 minutes or until tomato skins are just starting to split.
3. Meanwhile, cook barley in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 25 minutes, or until tender but still firm to the bite. Drain well. Spoon barley on to a platter. Top with roasted capsicum and tomatoes. When ready to serve, spoon over dressing and scatter with coriander.

* White pearl barley, also known as orzo perlato, is available nationally from Simon Johnson food stores. You could substitute with regular pearl barley, available from supermarkets and health food stores, but increase cooking time to 35 minutes.

Tip:
Muscatels (large dried grapes) add a sweet note to this barley and tomato salad. Pomegranate molasses is made by simmering the juice of pomegranates until thick and syrupy. Its flavour is at once sweet and tart. Look for it in delicatessens.

Recipes & styling: Jane Hann. Photography: Ben Dearnley. Food preparation: Theressa Klein.